Should I give it up? Or should I fight?

[case42]

Ok... here's the situation. I've worked with copyrights or more than 25 years, so I know a bit about what I'm doing, but I have a new situation, and could use a little advice. I'm not particularly fond of paying an attorney, but would rather get some input from people with REAL experience in the field.

1. About a year ago, I arranged and recorded a piece of music with a "friend." I even helped re-arrange the melody in order to make it fit some musical standards. In reality, she wrote the lyrics and the original melody, but without an arranger and songwriter who knows something about music, this would have gone nowhere. She doesn't "write," she simply makes up words and melodies, and is quite good. But she DID come to me to create the copyrightable version, which included my arrangement, and original recording.
2. After some crazy behind-the-scenes drama with my former business partner, she decided to ask me to remove my name from the copyright. Please note that she originally asked me to put my name on the copyright form with attributes for music and arrangement.
3. She NOW claims that arrangement isn't part of copyright, and that I should pay the $100 to fix my "mistake" in filing the copyright, by removing my name completely.

So... Advice from the peanut gallery?

 

[bruiser1964]

No brainer - she wants your name removed - she pays... or leave things as they are with you quite rightly being named as a contributer.. why are you even considering another choice?

More thoughts - this is a legal agreement that she presumabbly was not coerced or forced to enter? leave things as they are you might make a deserved couple of bucks out of it - she cannot force you to change the agreement.

More thoughts - unless you married her... you didn't did you?

 

[Lt. Bob]

on the copyright form there is a space for musical arrangement and such so it can be a part of the copyright.
Unless this is someone you want to be friends with, there's now way I'd pay jack or even change it for that matter.

If it is someone you want to be on good terms with then I still wouldn't pay for it myself since there absolutely are arrangement and musical contribution spaces on the copyright form .... at least the electronic version anyway. And why would it be $100 ..... a entire copyright is only 35 bucks.
And as far as I see on mine, I could go in and amend them anytime I want for no fee at all.